Beyond Bin Laden Read Online Free Page A

Beyond Bin Laden
Book: Beyond Bin Laden Read Online Free
Author: Jon Meacham
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But as Jordanian Islamist Marwan Shehadeh notes, "extremist Islamist movements are on the retreat, giving way to the more moderate currents that have a more comprehensive vision and political platform," such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. 20
    If extremists are on the wane, though, the death of Osama bin Laden comes at a time when the power of the United States in the region is also receding. Following the implosion of western Europe in two catastrophic world wars in the first half of the twentieth century, the United States had, along with the Soviet Union, replaced the United Kingdom and France as the dominant power in a region made all the more important thanks to the discovery of vast hydrocarbon reserves in the Arabian Peninsula. In the aftermath of the Cold War and the first Persian Gulf War, the United States was briefly left supreme in the region. That hegemony, though, died in the fires of Iraq. Although the United States will leave enough military power in the region to guarantee access to the oil and gas passing through the Straits of Hormuz, a bankrupt United States exhausted by war is unlikely to project power as aggressively as it once did.
    So for the first time in two centuries, the peoples of the Arabic-speaking world will be left to determine their future free from invading Western armies. Whatever path they chart, it will be their own.
    Â 
    Andrew Exum is a fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C. A native of Tennessee, he was educated in Philadelphia, Beirut, and London and served in the U.S. Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The AfPak Opportunity Now at Hand
Bing West
    Â 
    This essay examines the implications of the Osama bin Laden raid in terms of the war in Afghanistan. Killing Bin Laden affirmed the power and determination of America, and his death offers an opportunity to greatly reduce the American effort in Afghanistan.
    The successful raid on May 1, 2011, of Bin Laden’s upscale compound in Pakistan dealt a severe blow to all Islamists. It was a clear victory for the CIA and the U.S. military. As a result, nations across the globe will be more willing to cooperate with American national security operatives. 
    That Bin Laden was hiding in plain sight demonstrated the complicity of Pakistan’s government. President Obama informed President Zardari of Pakistan
after
the raid, driving home the message that Pakistan could not be trusted. An embarrassed Islamabad scrambled to excuse its hypocrisy by claiming, "Osama bin Laden’s death illustrates the resolve of the international community, including Pakistan, to fight and eliminate terrorism.… Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used in terrorist attacks against any country."
    That claim, of course, was false. Pakistani officials have provided the sanctuary that has enabled both Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists to launch murderous attacks against other countries. The successful elimination of Osama bin Laden offers the chance to change the nature of the war in Afghanistan—if it signals a shift in attitude on the part of the Obama administration. Since 2001, American officials have tolerated the two-faced stance of Pakistan, even though its granting the enemy a sanctuary has enormously complicated the war in Afghanistan. Remove the sacredness of the sanctuary, and the balance of power between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban changes dramatically, permitting a major reduction in U.S. forces inside Afghanistan.
    Â 
    The strategy in Afghanistan has been muddled since 2001. The United States, aided by other NATO countries, invaded Afghanistan because Al Qaeda terrorists had murdered close to three thousand civilians in New York City. After the destruction of the Twin Towers, the Taliban—then governing most of Afghanistan—refused to turn over Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda organization residing inside Afghanistan. U.S. airpower swiftly destroyed the conventional
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